What’s behind celebrities’ repeated run-ins with addiction and the law? Why have so many musicians and actors died young after years of substance abuse? Why can’t they just stop? A top addiction expert has tips to get off drugs…

“Addiction is like asthma,” says Urschel, an addiction specialist and psychiatrist in Dallas.

“You’re never completely rid of it.”

But with proper treatment and supervision, drug and alcohol abusers can effectively control and manage their disease, he says.

In this exclusive Lifescript interview, Urschel explains the science behind substance abuse – and how other celebrities, like Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen, can keep their lives on track.

Why do some people find it tough to get off – and stay off – drugs or alcohol?Drug addiction is a brain disease. Abusing drugs or alcohol changes the brain’s structure and function.

The brain releases the chemical dopamine, which makes you feel good when you get high or drunk. And even though you feel good in the moment, repeated releases of “reward” or “feel-good” brain chemicals can cause minor damage to some areas of your brain.

In a person who’s not an addict, that area heals itself very quickly.

What's the most crucial element to successfully overcoming addiction?Not thinking addiction can be “cured” in 30 or 60 days of rehab. Healing takes a long time.

Once the brain is injured from alcohol or drug use, it takes 4-12 months to heal - if the person stays completely clean and sober. An addict’s brain needs to reboot itself.

Many celebrities drop a large sum of money for a month and expect everything to be all better. A 30- to 60-day rehab program gets them off drugs or alcohol, so they’re clean and sober.

The trouble is it doesn’t keep them off drugs because of the extent that they’ve pickled their brains. They’re not able to absorb any of the life-saving information to stay clean.

Is that why so many addicts relapse?Yes. Even though they may not be using drugs or alcohol when they leave rehab, they’re not able to make good decisions. That part of their brain hasn’t healed.

They return to the life that led them to drugs or drinking. And once there, the inability to make good decisions usually leads to a relapse.

You wouldn’t lock a diabetic in a bakery days after getting their blood sugar levels under control. But that’s what’s happening with addicts.

What are the alternatives to the typical 30- or 60-day rehab programs?Using the most recent scientific information to treat addicts, the National Institutes of Health spent nearly three decades studying and then outlining the most effective treatment methods for addiction.

Yet, ironically, many treatment programs continue to use 70-year-old techniques, instead of the newest options that are proven to be more effective.

What are some of the new addiction treatments available?A monthly shot of the prescription drug naltrexone can effectively treat alcoholism.

The shot decreases cravings by 90% by rewiring the part of the brain that desires alcohol. This prevents an addict from making bad decisions.

The shot also works for addiction to heroin or prescription narcotics.

There are other medicines showing promise to rewire an addict’s brain and help them stay clean and sober.

Is addiction different in women than men? There are no clear-cut, sweeping gender differences. Like any chronic disease, addiction is different in each person.

So the struggles that a woman might have staying sober may be different than what a man experiences.

Are men or women more prone to addiction?No gender has an increased chance of developing addiction.Does a family history of addiction increase a person’s risk?Yes. And that risk does appear to follow gender.

If many of the women in your family are addicts, then you and other women relatives have an increased susceptibility and should be vigilant about consuming very little – or no – alcohol.

It’s no different than if you have a family history of breast cancer.

In that instance, you would be vigilant about screenings and lowering your odds of developing the disease.

Is going “cold turkey” effective or recommended as an addiction treatment? That is incredibly dangerous – and not recommended.

The detoxification or “drying-out” period, in which a person stops using drugs or alcohol, should be done under medical supervision because there can be severe complications.

What are they?There are physical ones like nausea and vomiting (which if unsupervised can lead to dehydration), tremors, sweating, cramping and difficulty sleeping.

A person might also hallucinate and have suicidal thoughts. This can obviously cause injury to the addict or someone else because the addict can’t draw the line between reality and the hallucinations.

Does home rehab work?It does – if it’s incorporated at the right time in a treatment program.

For home therapy to be successful, you need a strong support system and to remove all the negative influences that existed during the addiction period.

The addict’s brain also needs to be completely detoxed before home therapy.Can 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous help addicts to recover?Yes, if you pair them with the science-based approach.Yes, if you pair them with the science-based approach.

The 12-step programs are great. But addicts need a combination of in- and out-patient therapy, medication if suggested by a doctor and a 12-step program if they want to incorporate that too.

The programs help only about 30% of addicts long-term.

If you add other therapies and medicines to the 12 steps, the success rate jumps to 80%-90%.

Should parents of adult addicts ever step in to help their adult kids?Absolutely! Helping an addict get treatment is not enabling.

Parents need to realize their child’s brain might have been injured.

They need to advocate for their child.

Do You Drink Too Much?The one or two glasses of wine you drink at the occasional meal when you dine out are no big deal, but what about the standard two glasses of wine you have with every dinner? Could this love of Chardonnay mean that you drink too much? Many people wonder the same thing -- whether or not their drinking habits are over the top. Answer these questions honestly to find out if your drinking habits are out of control.

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